Face Off: “Troll Bridge”

February 18, 2015

Jon

After working in pairs last week, Face Off’s 11 remaining artists were again handed a solo challenge this week. After selecting one of six famous bridges, each artist was asked to create an oafish, devious troll to match that bridge. In addition to considering the structure’s architecture, they were instructed to factor in location and cultural setting.

Right off the bat, Rayce advised the four remaining members of his team to avoid troll cliches and attempt to create something unfamiliar. Later in the episode, this advice came back to haunt him.

Darla had an especially difficult first day, struggling to come up with an idea for her character’s face. After wasting roughly five hours, she decided to focus on her cowl, causing coach Laura some concern.

In the end, Darla’s character received mixed reviews form the judges, but she managed to stay out of the bottom three.

Emily was on a roll for several weeks, but she finally hit a wall in this week’s episode. Her character’s face and chest piece both got stuck in molds, eating up much of her time.

While the judges had some positive things to say about Emily’s character, she still wound up in the bottom three.

Anxious to make an impression after some recent difficulties, Anthony decided not to create a traditional troll face.

Unfortunately, the face he did create frustrated the judges, who felt it was a poor match for his bridge. As a result, Anthony joined Emily in this week’s bottom three.

In spite of these struggles, the lab was more jovial than usual this week, thanks to the presence of actor Doug Jones, a skilled mime and contortionist known for his work (under many layers of makeup) in films like Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy. His animated guidance inspired artists and models alike.

As the artists worked through last looks, Ben started doubting his audaciously whimsical character, as it bore no resemblance to the other trolls.

It turns out he had nothing to worry about, as the judges applauded his courage, landing him in the top three.

Kelly had similar doubts, feeling that the many colours in her paint job had blurred into a muddy mess.

Glenn Hetrick instantly eradicated these doubts, telling Kelly that she did “an astounding job.” She also found a place in the top three.

Here are the rest of the artists’ creations, including one more of this week’s best and worst.